[asia-apec 311] Mexican Workers (Urgent Appeal)

[alarm]

Tabasco refuse collectors on hunger strike may die
(January 7, 1997)

Urgent solidarity needed

Jorge Luis Alamilla Magana and Venancio Jimenez Martinez, the two
Tabasco refuse collectors have now  been on hunger strike in front of
the National Human Rights Commission for 84 days. Five other workers
have been on hunger strike for 44 days and one of them, Agustin Vicente
Sanchez has decided to stop taking any liquids as well. "If what they
want is someone to die before they give in to our demands, I voluntarily
offer my life for the sake of all my comrades and their families". 

Their health is very bad. They can barely speak or open their eyes. They
have lost notion of time and suffer cramps in different parts of their
bodies. Accoridng to one of the doctors they have reached a point were
damage to their health could be irreversible. They could suffer
permanent brain damage. 

The workers have recieved solidarity from many different social,
political, trade union and human rights organisations. The PRD (main
opposition party) NEC decided to fully support the workers' cause and
their two main leaders, Manuel Lopez Obrador and Cuauhtemoc Cardenas
visit the strikers everyday. The PRD has demanded the president's direct
intervention in the conflict to no reply from Ernesto Zedillo yet. 

The demands of the workers are: reinstatement of all 336 refuse
collectors sacked in Villahermosa (Tabasco), payement of the wages for
the days of work lost, withdrawal of the 46 arrest warrants against
them. 

They have been offered 190 jobs on casual basis and redundancy payements
for another 110
workers but they have refused this "offer" and made clear that they want
their jobs back. 

Urgent solidarity action is needed.

Please circulate this appeal as widely as possible 

Send faxes of protest demanding immediate solutions to: 

Secretaria de Gobernacion
Licenciado Esteban Moctezuma Barragan
Fax: 525 521 27 63 

Letters of solidarity can be sent to: 

Broad Front of Democratic Struggle
Calle Insurgentes n. 203
Fracc. Insurgentes
Ciudad Industrial Villahermosa
TABASCO, Mexico. 

or emailed through: 

National Trade Union Commission,
Party of the Democratic Revolution
a la atencion de los trabajadores de la limpia de Tabasco
joseluisr at laneta.apc.org